Flexible joint



Jan. 12, 1937. J w B, PEARCE 2,067,284

FLEXIBLE JOINT Filed Nov. 15, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l llllll 9 76 [5mm 9,I: i

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' I/v velvrok JOHN WB. Psmvcfi.

Jan. 12, 1937. .J. w. B. PEARCE FLEXIBLE JOINT Filed Nov. 15, 1934 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Ir roar/vex)" Jon/v W.B. P541965. #MXJM r-IcadL PatentedJan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I FLEXIBLE JOINT John W. B.Pearce, Toledo, Ohio Application November 15, 1934, Serial No. 753,170

3 Claims.

This invention relates to power transmitting joints, and moreparticularly to an improved form of flexible joint for powertransmitting shafts.

' An object of the present invention is to provide an improved flexiblejoint for power transmitting shafts wherein a body of rubber provides ayielding connection and a vibration absorbing medium through whichpower. is transmitted from one joint member to the other.

i Another object of the invention is to provide an improved flexiblejoint for rotary power shafts wherein a body of rubber is arranged sothat the torque is transmitted from one joint member to the other,through the rubber, and the rubber absorbs or dampens objectionablevibrations in the torque as well as shocks due to sudden changes in themagnitude of the torque being transmitted.

} Another object of this invention is to provide a flexible joint, ofthe type referred to, wherein 20 the rubber is connected to the jointmembers by being vulcanized thereto.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved flexiblejoint for rotary power shafts wherein cooperating joint members areprovided,

25 respectively, with anannular recess and a flange extending into suchrecess, and wherein rubber disposed in the recessprovides a torquetransmitting connection which permits limited relative movement betweenthe joint members and absorbs or 30 smooths out vibrations and suddenshocks in the torque being transmitted.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a flexible rotaryshaft joint, of the type referred to, wherein the flange which extendsinto the annular recess is carried by a universal joint structure havingits center lyingsubstantially in the plane of the flange.

Yet another object of this invention is to pro. vide a flexible jointhaving a ring part and a universal joint structure disposed within thering part, and wherein rubber flexibly connecting joint members arearranged outwardly of the universal joint structure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 45 will be apparent fromthe following description when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying sheets of drawings, wherein Fig. 1 isan end view ofa'simple form of flexible joint constructed according to my invention.

50 Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of another flexible jointconstructed according to my invention.

55 Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view f e same joint, but taken at90 from the sectional view of Fi .3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the same joint taken asindicated by line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an end view, with parts broken away, of 5 the intermediatering member of my flexible joint.

Fig. is a transverse sectional view thereof taken on line I -I of Fig.6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig.

7, but showing parts of the ring member prior to assembly.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view, similar to Fig. 7, but showinganother construction for the intermediate ring member.

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view taken on line Iii-l0 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, showing anotherarrangement of elements for the intermediate ring member prior toassembly.

Fig. 12 is an end view further illustrating this arrangement, the viewbeing taken as indicated by line I2-l2 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a detached plan view of the flange or disk part of one of theintermediate ring membars.

Fig. 14 is an edge view thereof.

Fig. 15 is a detached plan view, with parts broken away, showing one ofthe rubber bodies of my flexible joint.

Fig. 16 is an edge view thereof with parts broken away.

Fig. 17 is a, sectional view showing one of the rubber bodies butillustrating another form thereof. Y

Fig. 18 is a partial sectional view showing another construction for theelements of the inter-, mediate ring member, and

Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken on line l8-I9 of Fig. 18. v 0

In the accompanying drawings, to which de-, tailed reference will now bemade, I have illustrated an improved flexible joint for powertransmitting shafts wherein bodies of rubber are arranged to connect thejoint members and to form a yielding medium through which the power istransmitted, such that objectionable vibrations or shocks due to suddenchanges in the magnitude of the power flow will be absorbed anddampened. It will be understood, of course, that so the invention may beembodied'in various devices and arrangements other than the particularjoints herein illustrated and described.

tion for a pair of rotary shafts, such as a pair of substantiallyaligned shafts 28 and 2|, through which torque may be transmitted forany desired purpose. My improved flexible connection, as applied to theshafts 28 and 2|,-comprises joint members 22 and 23 which are connected,respectively, to the adjacent ends of the shafts and an intermediatering member 24 which connects the joint members 22 and 23.

The joint members 22 and 23 may be of varying construction and may beconnected to the power transmitting shafts in any convenient manner.When these joint members are constructed with a hub portion 25, as inthis instance, they may be conveniently connected to the shafts by beingkeyed thereon. The joint member 23 may be provided with a substantiallyradially extending annular flange 26 which may be connected to theintermediate ring member 24 by means of an annular series of bolts 21.The joint member 22 is provided with a substantially radially extendingflange part 28 which cooperates with the intermediate ring member 24 ina manner to be presently explained.

' The intermediate ring member 24 may also be of varying construction,depending upon the character of service the flexible joint is to renderand upon the construction and arrangement of the joint members withwhich it'is to be used. In this instance the intermediate ring member 24is constructed with a tubular outer shell or housing 29 and withsubstantially radially inwardly extending rings or flanges 38 and 3|adjacent the ends of the tubular shell. The space between To establish aflexible torque transmitting connection between .the flange part 28 ofthe joint member 22 and the intermediate ring member which is carried bythe joint member 23, I provide a quantity of soft vulcanized rubber inthe annular recess 32. This rubber is connected with the flange'28 andwith parts of the ring member 24, preferably the end flanges 38 and 3|,

so that the power being transmitted is transmitted through the rubber.The rubber may be in the form of rings 33- and 34 which are disposed onopposite sides of the flange 28,'or may be in some other suitable form,such as the annularly spaced series of blocks to be describedhereinafter. g r

The rubber rings v33 and 34 are connected with I the opposite surfacesof the flange 28 and with the surfaces of the flanges 38 and 3| whichform the end walls of the annular recess 32. This connection between therubber and the flange 28';

and between the rubber and the flanges 38 and SI, may be formed invarious ways, for'exainple it may be provided by the rubber beingvulcanized to'the flanges, or by the rubber being maintained 'undercompression in the-annular recess and thereby frictionally connected tothe flanges. If

desired, the strength of such a connection may be increased by changingthe surface characteristics of the flanges so as to increase thecoemcient of friction between the rubber and the and the metal, it canbe formed, as will be ex-. plained hereinafter, by providingirregularities on the flanges with which the rubber-bodies cooperate toestablish a mechanical interlock between the rubber and the flanges. It.should be zation.

understood also that when the rubber is connected to the joint membersby vulcanization or by a mechanical interlock, as mentioned above, therubber may if desired, also be maintained under compression.

The intermediate ring member 24 of my flexible joint may be constructedin any suitable way, for

.be understood, of course, that in assembling the parts of theintermediate ring member 24, the bolts 21 will be inserted throughsuitable openings in the flange 3| before the rubber is connected to theflanges by compression or vulcani- In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings Ihave further illustrated the construction of an intermediate ring member38 which is similar to the intermediate ring member 24 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6shows the completed ring memberwith the bodies of rubber in the form ofannular rings 39 disposed on opposite sides of a disk or flange part 40.Fig. 8 shows the rubber rings arranged between the flange part 48 andthe end flanges 4| and 42 before the rubber -is connected to the metal.Figs. 6 and-'7 show the parts after assembly, with the rubber rings 39compressed between the flange part 40 and the end flanges 4| and 42. Theend flanges and 42 are held in spaced relation to retain the rubberunder compression bythe tubular outer shell 43. This outer shell may beconnected to the end flanges 4| and 42 by a shrink flt thereon and alsoby spaced welds 44. Bolts 43' are provided for connecting the ringmember 38 with a joint member and holes 44' in the flange part 40accommodate bolts for connecting a joint member to the latter part 7 Asmentioned above, the rubber providing the flexible connection betweenthe joint members may be in the form of annularly spaced blocks and, inFigs. 9 and 10, I show an intermediate ring member 45 having an annularrecess in which the rubber is arranged in this manner, that is to say,in a series of annularly spaced blocks 46 disposed on opposite sides ofa flange part 41 The rubber blocks tion on the end flanges 48 and 49,and also by i the outer tubular shell 5| retaining the end flanges 48and 49 'in the desired position. The shell 5| 7 may be connected to theend flanges by a shrink fit and also by spaced welds 52. To provide forthe limited relative movement, which is permitted between the flangepart 41 and the flanges 48 and 49 by the flexing of the rubber, theflange part 41 may be provided with oversize openings 53 or slots whichaccommodate the bolts 58, as

shown in Fig. 10.

The connection between the rubber and the metal may be strengthened invarious ways, for example, the adjacent faces of the flange part and theend flanges of the intermediate ring member may be provided withirregularities with which the rubber cooperates. For example, in Figs.11 and 12 I show a flange part 55, similar to the flange part 28 of Fig.2, provided with indentations 56 at circumferentially spaced points.Similar indentations 57 are formed in the end flanges 58 and 58 whichcorrespond with the end flanges 38 and 3i of. Fig. 2. When the rubberrings 88 and 81 are placed under compression, the rubber is forced intothe depressions 58 and 51 and the portions between the depressions areforced into the rubber rings. This interconnection between the rubberandmetal increases the resistance to sl ppage between cooperating surfacesof the metal parts and the rubber bodies.

Thedesired connection between the rubber bodies and the metal parts ofthe intermediate ring member may also be established by pro-- viding themetal parts with recesses into which blocks of rubber, similar to theblocks 86 of Figs.

. 9 and 10, may be seated. In Figs. 13 and 14 of jacent portions of aflange part and end flanges 66 provided with knurling or roughening asindicated at 81. This knurling increases the coemcient of frictionbetween thecooperating surfaces of the metal parts and the rubber bodies68.

The degree of flexibility desired may be differcut for different jointsand may be varied by varying the flexibility of the rubber which is usedin the joints. This may be accomplished in various ways, for example byvarying the composition of the rubber, or by varying the cross sectionalshape of the rubber bodies. In Figs. 15 and 16 I have shown how theflexibility of a rubber ring 18 may be increased for use in my flexiblejoint byreducing the cross sectional area of the ring at a plurality ofpoints, such as by forming pockets or recesses II in the ring. Thesepockets may be conveniently formed in the rubber ring by suitablyarranged cores associated with. the vulcanizing mold; In Fig. 17 I haveshowna rubber ring I2 having grooves 13 formed in the inner and outerperipheries thereof. The formation of such grooves in the inner surfaceor outer surface, or

both, of the ring 12 reduces the cross sectional area thereof and henceincreases the flexibility of the ring for use in my flexible joint.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings I have shown a flexible jointembodying my invention and which is generally similar to the flexiblejoint shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception that one of the jointmembers comprises a universal joint structure. In this latter form of mydevice,

a joint member 15 has a flange part I6 to which an intermediate ringmember 11, similar to the intermediate ring member 24 of Fig. 2, isconnected by' annularly spaced bolts I8. A joint member 18 in the formof a universal joint structure carries a disk or flange part 88whichextends outwardly'into the annular recess of the ring member 11. Bodiesof rubber 8i and 82, preferably in the form of rings, are disposedbetween the flange 88 and the end flanges 83 and pression. A tubularcasing or shell 85 is con-.

nected to the end flanges 83 and 84 by a shrink fit thereon, and byspaced welds 86 whereby the end flanges are maintained in properrelation to hold the rubber in the compressed state. Interferencebetween the welds 86 and the flange 18 ,of the joint member 15 may beavoided by providing spaced recesses 81 at the edge of the flange toaccommodate the welds.

The universaljoint structure forming the joint member I8 may be of anydesired construction and in this instance, I show a universal joint ofthe cross type, the cross 88 being accommodated in an opening 88 formedin the disk or flange part 88. One pair of trunnions 88 of the crossextend into bearing cups 8| of a yoke 82, and the other pair oftrunnions 83 of the cross extend into bearing cups 84 which are carriedby a yoke 85. The yoke 82 is connected to the disk member 88 by means-ofthe bolts 88 and is so designed that the axes of the trunnions 88, andhence the center of the universal joint, lie substantially in thecentral plane of the disk. As seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the yoke82 with which a power shaft may be connected, lies on the same side ofthe disk 88 as the joint member 15. The yoke 85, which is connected tothe trunnions 83, lies on the other side of the disk member 88 andextends-oppositely to the joint member I5 for connection with a powershaft or other part. v

It will be seen from the arrangement just described that since-the axesof one pair of trunnions of the universal joint lie in the plane of thedisk or flange part 88, the parts will remain in a balanced conditionand there will not be a tendency for the intermediate ring member 11 torotate with a gyratory or wabbling action during the operation of thedevice. It will also be seen that by having the cushioning andconnecting rubber arranged in the intermediate ring member, theuniversal joint structure can be located within the ring, and a verycompact and efficient construction is thus provided.

In the flexible connections which I have described above, it will benoted that the flange or disk part which extends into the annular recessof the intermediate ring memben'is made somewhat smaller than the shellor casing of the intermediate ring member so that the limited relativemovement, which is permitted between these parts by the flexing of therubber, can take place.

In all of the flexible joints which I have illustrated and described,the rubber provides the sole connection between the joint members and,during the operation of these flexible joints, the power is transmittedthrough therubber with he rubber being subjected to only a shearingstress. Flexing of the rubber is permitted by the arrangement of theparts and, during the operation of the joints, objectionable vibrationsas well as shocks due to sudden changes in the power flow, are absorbedby such flexing of the rubber. It will, therefore, be seen that. whenpower is transmitted through my improved flexible joint a relativelysmooth and even flow of power will be delivered.

In the specification and claims I have mentioned rubber as the flexiblemedium which connects the joint members and through which the power istransmitted, and I wish it to be 75 understood that I intend the termrubber to include any or allot the various rubber-like sub-' =stances..'

While Ihave illustrated and described the: flexible joints of myinvention in a detailed mamner, :it will be understood, or course, thatI do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction andarrangements of parts illustratand provided with trunnions having theiraxes lying substantially in the plane of said disk, and bodies of rubberin said recess on' opposite sides of said outer disk portion, saidrubber being connected with said disk and'walls of the recess by beingvulcanized thereto.

2. In combination, a joint member having a ring part provided with anannular recess therein opening inwardly toward the axis of rotation, aflange part disposed in theopening of the ring part with the outerportion of the flange part extending outwardly into said annular recess,

a universal joint structure connected with said flange part and havingits center lying substantially in the plane of said flange part, andbodies of rubber disposed in said annularrecess of the ring part onopposite sides of said outer. portion of the flange part, the rubberhaving connection with the ring part and with said flange part andproviding a yieldable torque transmitting connection therebetweem 3; Incombination, a jointmember having-a I ring part provided with an annularrecess open ing inwardly toward the axis of rotation, a disk disposed inthe openingof the ring part and hay.-

ing the outer portion'thereof extending outwardly into saidannularrecess, a second joint member comprising a universal jointstructure connected with said disk and provided with trunnions havingtheir axes lying substantially in the plane 20 of the disk, and bodiesof rubber in said annular recess on opposite sides of saidouter diskportion, said rubber being connected with said disk and with the wallsof the annular recess and providing a yieldable torque transmittingconnection therebetween. I

1 JOHN W. B. PEARCE.

